by Erin Nemastil
The Wyoming Department of Public Safety Fire Service Division will hold a Fire Expo on Saturday, May 17, to showcase fire fighting tools, activities and opportunities. The public is encourage to attend this free event.
The Expo will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Wyoming Fire Station #3 at 2300 Gezon Parkway SW. The event will feature displays, demonstrations and interactive participation opportunities. Displays will include overviews of firefighters’ tools, hazardous materials education and public safety and EMS response within the City of Wyoming. Vehicle extrication demonstrations will be performed every half hour. Other demonstrations will include CPR and the use of automatic external defibrillators, or AEDs.
Participants will be able to take part in hands-on learning with Wyoming firefighters. These interactive activities will introduce personal firefighting turnout gear, apparatus and education in fire prevention and fire safety.
Children’s activities including fingerprinting service will also be provided for families by the Wyoming Department of Public Safety Retired Senior Volunteer Patrol, or RSVP. RSVP volunteers are community members who participate in public safety operations including performing vacation checks on homes in Wyoming and other community outreach activities.
Firefighters don’t just fight fires. They really do so much more to serve the community. – Frank Verburg, Deputy Director of Public Safety Fire Services
The department will also be recruiting firefighters for their paid-on-call staff, in order to advance its goal to reach a contingent of 60 paid-on-call firefighters. The paid-on-call firefighters will support the fire stations on South Division Avenue, Burton Street, Gezon Parkway and the central station on 36th Street. To further attract and encourage response, City administrators have created an incentive system for paid-on-call staff who respond to fire calls.
“This is an opportunity for the public to see all that the firefighters do,” said Deputy Director of Public Safety Fire Services Frank Verburg. 
“It is also an opportunity for those who live and work in Wyoming to have a chance to meet the firefighters, and possibly to join the Wyoming Department of Public Safety as a paid-on-call firefighter. Firefighters don’t just fight fires. They really do so much more to serve the community. That includes medical and vehicle accident response, rescues and hazardous materials management, as well as public education and fire prevention. We need people who are looking for a real challenge and want to be a part of something much bigger than one person.”
The recruitment expo is a next step in implementing the City’s innovative public safety model. Other sustainable and efficient changes in public safety service delivery in the City of Wyoming include:
· Establishing a peak-load staffing and deployment model for the Wyoming Fire Service Bureau
· Cross-training City of Wyoming Public Works employees as certified firefighters.
· Further developing in-house crime lab capabilities
· Outfitting all police patrol vehicles with AEDs to quickly respond to the most serious medical emergencies
· An agreement with AMR to stage an ambulance at Gezon Station to provide faster medical response times
· Purchasing a quick response vehicle for medical and fire emergencies during peak load
· Working towards building a staff of 60 paid on-call firefighters
Training opportunities are available for paid on-call firefighters. Applicants must pass a physical ability test and will be subject to a full physical with a drug test, as well as a criminal background and driving record check. Fire fighters are required to be at least 18 years old and hold a high school diploma or GED. Wyoming firefighters will be performing blood pressure checks on-site.
Sponsorship opportunities are still available for local businesses. For more information, contact Lt. Chris Velzen at velzenc@wyomingmi.gov.
